Reckless Ambition: Explaining Moscow's Attempts to Interfere in the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election

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Date: 3 May, 16:15–17:30

Location:
University Main Building
Hall XI, University Main Building, Biskopsgatan 3

Lecturer:
Kimberly Marten is the Ann Whitney Olin Professor of Political Science at Barnard College, Columbia University, and the Director of the Program on U.S.-Russia Relations at Columbia’s Harriman Institute. In March 2017 the Council on Foreign Relations published her special report, Reducing Tensions between Russia and NATO. She has written four books, most recently Warlords: Strong-Arm Brokers in Weak States (Cornell, 2012). She is a frequent media commentator, and appeared on “The Daily Show” with Jon Stewart. She earned her undergraduate degree at Harvard and Ph.D. at Stanford. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Organiser:
Uppsala Forum on Democracy, Peace and Justice, the Institute for Russian and Eurasian Studies (IRES), the Swedish Institute for North American Studies (SINAS), and Uppsala Association of International Affairs

Russia’s attempt to interfere in the 2016 United States presidential election succeeded in introducing an element of chaos into U.S. politics, but neither Russia nor its leader Vladimir Putin gained much from it. Instead U.S. sanctions against Russia increased, and Russia’s 2017 attempt to introduce a new “reset” policy to the administration of Donald Trump fell flat as conflict between the two countries escalated. Kimberly Marten will describe what we know about Russian actions and delve into the Russian foreign policy decision-making process. She will examine four alternative explanations for Russia’s 2016/17 policies toward the U.S.: Putin’s psychological mindset; the decision style inherent in all similarly autocratic regimes; competing economic interests among Russia’s elite patron/client system; and the loss of centralized control over the actions of officers in Russia’s intelligence agencies.